Car couplers



W. H. SALE CAR COUPLERS Aug. 20, 1957 2 Shets-Sheet 1 Filed Oct. 21,1953

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CAR COUPLERS Filed Oct. 21, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I N V EN TOR.WzZ/z'azzz if. Li 2Z6 2,883,354 Patented Aug. 20, 1957 CAR COUPLERWilliam H. Sale, Richmond, Va., assignor to Standard Car Truck Company,Chicago, 11L, a corporation of New Jersey Application October 21, 1953,Serial No. 387,437

2 Claims. (Cl. 213-168) The invention relates to devices for operatingstandard automatic car coupling mechanism, and more particularly tomeans for preventing the displacement of the lock for the knuckle torelease it by shock stresses produced during train operation.

Present standard automatic car coupler mechanisms, usually include; aknuckle, a lock for the knuckle, a lock lifter for operating the lock torelease the knuckle, and a manually operable lever or rod for shiftingthe lock lifter to release the lock. In these prior constructions so faras I am aware, a loose or lost motion connection had to be used betweenthe lock lifter and the operating lever, which permitted initial freeswinging movement of the lever in the lifter. This lost motion permittedthe inner end of the lever to jump in or vibrate relatively to the locklifter when the coupler was subjected to shock stresses during trainoperation. This jumping or vibration was a contributory factor incausing the shock stresses to induce sufiicient pivotal movement of thelock lifter to displace the lock and accidentally release the knuckleand uncouple the cars. It has been proposed to provide stop meansbetween the coupler body and the operating lever for limiting relativevertical movement between the lever and the coupler body withouteliminating this free pivotal movement of the lever or positivelyconnecting the lever and the lock lifter. As a result these devices werenot efficient in preventing displacement of the lock lifter by shockstresses and the accidental uncoupling of the cars.

One object of the invention is to eliminate this free pivotal movementof the operating lever and to apply and adequately utilize the lever torestrain forward and upward pivotal movement of the lock lifter forpreventing accidental displacement of the lock lifter to release thelock.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved constructionin which the operating lever is efficiently utilized for preventingaccidental displacement of the lock lifter and resultant release of thelock for the knuckle, by shock stresses during train operation.

Other objects will appear from the detailed description.

The invention consists in the several novel features hereinafter setforth, and more particularly defined by claims at the conclusion hereof.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation, parts being shown in section, of a couplingmechanism embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a section taken on line 22 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an end elevation of the coupler and the operating lever, thecar body being shown in dotted lines;

Fig. 4 is a side elevation, parts being shown in section;

Fig. 5 is a detail of the lock lifter provided with a weight forincreasing the resistance of said lifter to pivotal movement to aid inpreventing displacement of the lifter.

The invention is exemplified with a standard tvpe of automatic couplerwhich comprises a coupler body 14 provided with a shank 15 which iscushioned and slidably mounted in the under frame of a railway car andwith a head 16; a knuckle 17 which is pivoted in said head to swinglaterally between open and closed positions when impacted by a knucklein a mating coupler; a lock 20 which is movably supported in head 16 forlocking the knuckle in its closed position, as well understood in theart; a lock lifter 21 which is pivotally supported on a pin 22 which ismounted in depending flanges of the coupler head 16; and a toggle-link24 which is connected by a pivot pin 23 to an arm 25 on the lock lifter21 and by a trunnion 26 to a slot 27 in the lock 20. The elements thusfar described may be of standard construction except for the addition tothe lock lifter and the operative characteristics hereinafter described.

The lifter 21 is pivoted on pin 22 to swing forwardly and upwardly forraising link 24 to operate lock 20 into position to release the knuckle17 for uncoupling the cars. The lock 29 drops into its locking positionwhen the knuckle is closed by impact with a knuckle in a mating coupler.The position of the lock lifter and the lock when the knuckle is lockedis shown by full lines in Fig. 1.

An operating lever, generally designated 30, is operatively supported onthe car body and the lock lifter for forward and upward pivotal movementto the lifter to release the lock 29. The lever 30 is formed of a roundrod bent to provide its several parts and comprises a hook 29 at itsinner end which is supported in an eye 34 on the lock lifter. The hook29 includes a straight upper portion or member 31, a semi circular bend33 between member 31 and a lower out-turned terminal 32. Eye 34 includesa forward front wall 36 which is engaged by the front face of the lowerportion of bend 33, a depending lug or wall 47 engaged by the rear faceof the lower portion of bend 33, a back wall 37 engaged by the rear faceof the upper portion of bend 33, a bridge around which the inside ofsaid bend extends, and an end wall 33 engaged by the outside of the bend33. The bridge 35 confines the hook 29 against vertical movement in theeye 34. The bridge 35 and end wall 38 confine the bend 33 in the eye 34and shift the lever 30 longitudinally when the coupler body is shiftedlaterally relatively to the car body during the operation of the cararound curves in the track. This construction provides a positiveconnection between the inner end of lever 30 and the lock lifter 21,which eliminates lost motion between the lifter and said lever. Suchlost motion permits shock stresses to cause the lever to jump or vibraterelatively to the lock lifter and contributes to pivotal movement of thelock lifter by shock stresses. This connection also makes it possible toutilize the force or resistance of the lever to oppose the upward andpivotal swinging of the lock lifter by shock stresses.

The operating lever 3% also comprises: a straight outer end portion 39which is slidable and pivotally movable in a bracket 4% which isprovided with an overlying roller 41 for supporting the outer end ofsaid lever; a pendant loop 42 between the portions 31 and 39 of saidlever; and a handle 43a of dual members on the lower end of a crank arm43 on the outer end of said lever. A guard 44 overlies the outer endportion 39 of lever 30. Bracket 4t} and guard 44- are supported on aplate or bracket 45, which is secured to the corner of the car body. Theangular position of the loop 42 relatively to the center of gravity oflever 30 is such that gravitational force in lever 34 will be appliedthrough hook 29 to oppose forward and upward pivotal movement of thelock lifter by shock stresses.

The bracket supports lever 30 for pivotal movement of book 29 on a longradius and said hook is confined against pivotal movement in the eye 34of the lock lifter exert bending or torsional stresses'in the leverbetween the hook 29 and loop 42 which will produce resistance to, andsupplement, the gravitational force in lever 30 for opposing the forwardand upward pivotal movement of the lock lifter by shock stresses. Thependant loop 42 increases the gravitational force of the operating leverin opposing the forward swinging movement of the lock lifter.

In operation, assuming the knuckle 17 to be locked .in the coupler headand the car in service, the operating lever 30 and the lock lifter 21will be in the position shown in full lines in Fig. l. The rear face ofcircular bend 33 between members 31 and 32 straddles the bridge 35 andabuts the front face of lug 47 below said bridge, and the lower portionof said bend abuts the rear face of front wall 35, so that thereis nolost-motion between the upper and lower portions of the hook 29 and thelock-lifter when forward swinging movements are applied to the lifter byshock stresses, such forward swinging movements would cause the entireinner hook or end of the lever to swing positively around the axis ofthe trunnion 22, while the outer portion 39 of the lever is pivotallymovable in bracket 49 on an axis which is eccentric to the axis oftrunnion 22 on which the inner end of the lever swings. The positiveengagement of the lock-lifter and hook 29 tends to move the upper andlower members 31 and 32 of hook 29 in differential arcs around the axisof trunnion 22 and relatively to the fulcrum of the lever in bracket 40.This positive engagement between the hook and the lock-lifter, producesbending or twisting movements in the lever between its inner end and itsfulcrum portion 39 causes resistance to the forward pivotal movement ofthe lock-lifter by shock stresses. The preponderance of weight in thelever is in loop 42 and its portion 31 and is forward of its center a4-3 forwardly and upwardly until the hook 29 and lock lifter are in theposition shown by dotted lines in Fig. 1.

In this operation, the swinging of hook 29 will swing the lock lifterforwardly and upwardly against the gravitational force in the lever.

The invention exemplifies an automatic coupler of standard type whicheliminates lost motion between the hook on the operating lever and thelock lifter, by means of a positive connection between the hook and thelifter,

as a factor in displacing the lifter by shock stresses and in whichforces in the operating lever are utilized to efiiciently oppose thedisplacement of the lifter by shock stresses.

When it is desired to additionally oppose the pivotal forward and upwarddisplacement of the lock' lifter by shock stresses, a weight 50 may beintegrally formed on the arm 25 as shown in Fig. 5.

The invention is not t o be undertsood as restricted to the detailsillustrated and described but may be modified within the scope of theappended claims without departing from the spirit and scope of.the'inventionj I claim: V

1. In a car coupler comprising a knuckle, a lock for the knuckle and alock lifter supported to swing for operating the lock to release theknuckle, and provided with an eye; a lifter-operating lever providedwith means which is bendable to resist forward swinging movement of thelifter, the lever having its outer end pivotally supported on the carbody and provided at its inner end with a hook including upper and lowerportions and a connecting bend, the lever being supported eccentricallyto the lifter and so it is bendable by pivotal movement of the hook withthe lifter, for opposing swinging movement of the lifter to release thelock, the lifter having an integral bridge across the eye and forwardlyand rearwardly facing surfaces abutting the upper and lower portions ofthe hook above and below the, bridge, respectively, for opposing forwardpivotal movement of the lifter relatively to the lever and preventingrelease of the lock by shock stresses. Q

2. In a car coupler comprising a knuckle, a lock for the knuckle and alock lifter supported to swing for operating the lock to release theknuckle, and provided with an eye; a lifter-operating lever providedwith means which is bendable to resist forward swinging movement of thelifter, having its outer end pivotally supported on the car body andprovided at its inner end with a hook supported in the eye on the lifterand including upper and lower portions and a connecting bend, the leverbeing supported eccentrically to the lifter and so it is bendable bypivotal movement of the hook with the lifter, for opposing swingingmovement of the lifter to release the lock, the lifter being providedwith a bridge in the eye, and with integral forwardly and rearwardlyfacing surfaces abutting the upper and lower portions of the hook aboveand below the bridge, respectively, for preventing forward swingingmovement of the lifter and release of the lock, and a weight on thelifter for additionally resisting forward swinging movement of thelifter.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

